Draw-bar attachment for railway-cars



(No Model. 2 Shets-8heet 1. J. A. HINS-ON. DRAW BAR ATTACHMENT FORRAILWAY CARS. No. 427,990.

Patented May 13, 1890.

JJJJJLI' 1 .INVENTOR.

itty (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' J. A. HINSO-N.

DRAW BAR ATTACHMENT FOR RAILWAY CARS. No. 427,990. Patented May 13,1890.

liillllllllIl UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. HINSON, OF DES MOINES, IOTVA.

DRAW-BAR ATTACHMENT FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 427,990, dated May 13,1890.

Application filed March 10, 1890. Serial No. 343,381. (No model.)

To 60% whom it may concern.-

tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a draft-rigging or draw-bar attachment forrailway-cars, and it has for its object to provide simple, durable, andcomparativelyinexpensive means for this purpose, by which the draw-barwill not be unduly restricted in its movement back and forth and yet beheld firmly in position, said means being of greater strength and betteradapted to remain firmly in the position where secured, no matter howgreat the strain exerted thereon through the draw-bar, than-the meansnow commonly employed to secure draw-bars to cars; and it consists ofthe parts and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through my improvedattachment, showing the draw-bar partly broken away; Fig. 2,a plan Viewof the coupler and attachment; Fig. 3, a detail plan view of attachmentwith draw-bar and spindle removed; Fig. 4, a perspective view of theinner face of one of the draw-bar lugs or castings; Fig. 5, aperspective view of the outer face of one of the draw-bar lugs orcastings; Fig. 6, a perspective view of the spindle and key lockingdevice; Fig. 7, a perspective detail view of the looking or retainingkey; Fig. 8, a perspective view of the thimble, and Fig. 9 a detail viewof the end of the spindle.

Similarletters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A represents the end sill of a railway-car, B the draft-timbers for thesupport of the draft-rigging or draw-bar attachment, and O the bu i'ferhead'block. The draft-timbers are rigidlysecured to the longitudinalsills D of the car by means of bolts, and are arranged at a suitabledistance apart to permit the insertion of the draw-bar. of the couplerbetween them.

and prevent it from being pushed or thrown out of line in coupling cars.A thimble 19 (see Figs. 1 and 2) surrounds each of the bolts a, in orderto prevent the breaking of said bolts if the draw-bar should happen tobe forced violently against the same.

The draft-timbers are recessed on theircontiguous faces, as at c, inorder to receive the ribs cl, formed 011 the rear or outer faces of thelugs or castings F, which are secured to said timbers by means of screwbolts and nuts 6, said bolts passing through perforations f formed insaid lugs or castings. As clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5, three of theperforations f for bolts e are arranged at'each end of the lugs orcastings, and one at the center to insure the rigid and secureattachment of the lugs or castings to the draft-timbers and, in

connection with the ribs, preventing the lonside of the lugs orcastings, and the thickened and enlarged ends '6 at the lower side ofthe lugs or castings, the end or cross pieces j, and the ribs d on theouter or rear face of the lugs or castings, all of which are casttogether or in one piece.

The side pieces or flanges h and the crosspieces j project from the backportion g of the lugs or casting and form a rectangular inclosed spaceor recess for the ends of the follower-plates G, the edges of saidplates resting on and between said side pieces or flanges and slidingthereon as they follow the movement of the draw-barback and forth, andthe end or cross pieces j form shoulders or stops at both ends againstwhich the follower-plates press alternately as the draw-bar is moved inor out by the movement of the cars. Thus it will be seen that I provideample workingspace for the follower-plates, and a firm support for thesame, as well as means for holding them in position and guiding them intheir movemen t, and shouldersor stops against which they press andwhich prevent them being drawn or pushed out of place, and that thewhole is lirmlyheld in position in the draft-timbers and consists of buttwo pieces or parts. One of the bolts at each end of the castings orlugs F passes clear across to the opposite casting and passes throughthe same, and surrounding these bolts are thinr bles ll, which rest ateach end against the enlarged endsj of the flanges 71, the object ofwhich is to prevent the castings and drafttimbers being drawn tooclosely together in bolting the same in place, and thus narrowing oreontractin g the working-space between the castings and pinching ortightening the follo\\'er-plates, so that their free movement is eitherrendered difficult or uncertain, or they are tightly held in placeagainst movement in either direction.

The follower-plates are inserted between the castings after the latterare bolted in place by simply passing them up between the castings fromthe under side thereof until they are between the flanges 71, and thenturning them crosswise and into place, as shown in Fig. 3, in whichfigure one of the plates is shown in position with its ends between theflanges and the other as having one end inserted between the flanges atone side and the other end in such position that by simply pushing it inthe direction of the arrow it will be forced between the flanges intoposition, as indicated by dotted lines, for operation.

Between the castings F the springs K, one within the other, as is usual,are located and are prevented dropping out in case of thebreaking of thespindle l. by the lower or bottom flange 71, which, as shown, is ofslightly greater width than the upper flange h. The springs K surroundthe spindle, and their ends rest against the follower-plates G, throughthe centers of which the spindle passes. The spindle is formed with anenlarged head 0, which may be of any desired shape or configuration ofgreater diameter than the openings in the follower-plates, thuspreventing the spindle working through the openings, and also when inuse forming a stop, so as to catch against the interior flange orshoulder 1,), formed at the inneror rear end of thedrawbar M, to holdsaid draw-bar in place, as shown in Fig. '1. The spindle is insertedthrough the front or forward end of the draw-bar and through the platesand springs. At one end two slots m andm are formed in the spindle at ashort distanceapart and in linewithcach other, the outer of which slotsin being of greater length than the inner slot in, and lo cated a shortdistance from the extreme end of the spindle, as best shown in Fig. 9, athimble N, having a flange 71 at one end and a slot (1 through its bodyportion, and having its other end formed with a double incline or bevelr, and diainetrically-opposite reccsess .5, said incline or bevelcommencing at the opposite sides of the recesses and running outwardtoward the end of the thi mble, as clearly shown in Fig. 8. A key 1,having a shoulder 15 at one end, and a perforation 11, adapted toreceive a split ring 1*, is provided to lock the thimble in place on thespindle, and a retaining-key R, having a projection 11 on one side edgeand adapted to enter slot m, is provided to force the thimble againstthe f ollower-pl ate. After the spindle is in place the thimble isslipped thereon and turned until its recesses s coincide with the slotm. The key R is then passed down through. the slot and recesses untilthe ends of its projection '11, which is of the same or slightly lessdiameter than the end of the spindle,completely enters the slot in saidspindle, when the thimble is given a quarter-turn, locking the key R inthe slot and bringing the slot in said thimble in line with the slot inof the spindle, and, owing to the inclined or beveled end of thethimble, forcing the same up against the follower-plate and compressingthe spring so that the key 1 may be readily inserted in the slot m. Bythis arrangement all slack that may exist between the ends of thesprings and the plates is taken up and the thimble is heldrigidlyagainstthe plate.

llavingthus described my invention,whatl claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination, in a draw-bar attaehment for railway-cars, with thedraft-timbers having recesses on their contiguous faces, of the castingshaving ribs formed 011 their rear faces adapted to fit said recesses,and the iongit-udinal flanges and the cross-pieces formed on their frontfaces, the whole being cast in one piece, substantially as described.

2. The retaining lugs or castings for drawbar attachments, east in onepiece and consisting of the casting having ribs formed at intervals onits rear longitudinal side, the side flanges and the cross-pieces formedon its front face, and snital )le perforations formed therein,substantially as described.

3. The retaining lugs or castings for drawbar attachments forrailway-cars, cast in one piece, consisting of the casting having ribsformed on its rear side or face at intervals, the side flanges and thecross-pieces formed on its front face, one of said side flanges beingformed heavier and enlarged at the ends thereof to form abearing'surfacc, and suitable bolt-holes formed in said castings, substantially as described.

4-. The combination, in a draw-bar attachment for railway-cars, of thedraft-timbers having recesses in their contiguous faces, the castingshaving ribs formed on their rear faces, the side flanges andcross'pieccs formed on their front faces,the bolts connecting saidcastings at their ends, and the thimbles on said bolts, substantially asdescribed.

The combination, in a draw-bar attachment, of the draft-timbers, thecastings having recessed front faces secured to said timbers, thefollower-plates adapted to fit in said recesses, the bolts connectingsaid castings at their ends, and the thimbles surrounding said bolts andhaving their ends bearing against said castings, substantially asdescribed.

6. The combination, in a draw-bar attachment, of the drafttimbers, thecastings having recessed front faces, the "follower-plates having theirends adapted to fit said recesses, the spindle, the springs surroundingsaid spindle and bearing against said plates, the bolts connecting saidcasting, and the thimbles surrounding said bolts and at their endsbearing against said castings, substantially as described.

7 The combination, in a draw-bar attachment for railway-ears, of theeasiin gs, the follower-plates, the spindle having slots at one end, thesprings surrounding said spindle, the thimble having a slot in its bodyportion and double beveled or inclined andreeessed end, the key adaptedto secure said thimble and spindle together, and the key having aprojection 011 its side edge adapted to foree said thimble against oneof the follower-plates, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with the spindle of a draw-bar having a long and ashort slot in line With each other near one end, of the thimble having aflange at one end, a slot in its body portion, and a double beveled andslotted end, the key adapted to secure said thimble to said spindle, anda key having a projection adapted to force said thimble along saidspindle, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

' JAMES A. HINSONV Witnesses:

J; F. BEALE, VICTOR J. EVANS.

